How to play Makruk
Ivory moves first on an uncheckered eight-by-eight board. Checkmate wins; stalemate draws.
- Players
- 2
- Seats
- Human, AI only, or AI allowing human takeover
How to play
The khun (king) moves one square in any direction. The rua (boat) slides like a rook. The ma (horse) jumps like a knight.
The met moves one diagonal square. The khon moves one diagonal square or one square forward. Cowrie pawns advance one square and capture diagonally; no double step, en passant or castling.
Pawns start on the third rank and automatically promote to met on their sixth rank. Kings start on d1 and e8, opposite the enemy met.
With no unpromoted pawns, start or stop counting on your turn. Board counting allows 64 counted moves. A bare king uses the remaining enemy pieces: two boats 8, one boat 16, two khon 22, one khon 44, two horses 32, otherwise 64. Bare-king counting starts at the total pieces on the board. Checkmate takes priority over the final count. Threefold repetition draws.
Seats and spectators
Configure each other seat when creating a table. Waiting human seats delay the deal until filled. AI seats allow human takeover by default: open Watch, then Join seat. You inherit the current position and hand. AI only keeps the computer in that seat.
Beginner strategy
- Consider what the other players can play before committing your strongest piece or tile.
- Use the highlighted legal moves, and keep an eye on the current player and score.